High Above

After leaving home, Roland couldn't help but sigh.

How could he not know that his old father was in failing health?

Although the people of Terra were generally in good physical condition, Steward Moda had obviously suffered mental damage and had put his body through many years of hard work.

As long as you cultivate yourself well and suppress your heart problems, that's all. In the past six months, the mountain people from all walks of life have been tossing and fighting for territory due to food disasters, rebellions and wars. The old man really can't stand this kind of torture.

Especially, my father himself no longer wants to live.

"Then what else can I do?"

Sighing, Roland felt quite depressed.

But he cheered up and prepared to spend every day seriously.

This is his creed - never be mediocre in this world, you must live your own unique style, and never regret it until you die.

It was precisely this character that made him steal money and leave his hometown on the day he came of age to study in a distant place in order not to regret it.

In front of the house is a clean street.

Nancheng District is a major residential area with a large number of shops. Many old Xiahui people have settled here.

The architectural style of gray bricks covered with cement and then covered with a layer of fine cobblestones is a legacy of the customs of the mountain people.

Fruits have begun to appear in the vendors and stores on both sides... Yes, the farmland and fruit trees in Nanling have been damaged, but the imported fruits in Canaan Moore are still cheap. Their new lord is really good at everything, and he can actually give it to him. Check out the purchasing channels from the elves.

The red moon fruit, a specialty of Banyue Lake, looks like an apple, but is larger, about the size of a palm and a half. It is actually a peeled fruit similar to a mango. It does not smell fragrant, but tastes very sweet. It is rich in trace elements and Fiber is said to make you full if you eat two pills a day.

The only drawback is that it is extremely hard. People with bad teeth can easily chip their teeth after eating it. Elves usually use it to make wine. Red moon wine has always been a popular specialty.

And the misty pomeloes in the fog forest all have the size of a human head. In fact, there are folk tales about misty pomeloes with human heads in the elves' folk tales that scare children now, from corpses left behind by the invasion of the Cangtian Palace to lost travelers, etc. There are many versions.

These grapefruits are displayed in front of the store, and their moon-green skin exudes a faint fragrance. This is a fruit that is extremely durable and the skin can be eaten. The local elves have an average opinion about it. It is considered a coarse grain for them, but in the empire, it can be regarded as a semi-elf specialty.

In short, they are all storable grains and fruits, which can almost be regarded as the staple food grains in Canaan Moore. It is no wonder that the lord can buy so many.

Roland looked up and saw today's prices hanging on the wooden board next to the shop... one pfennig for red moon fruit and three pfennig for mist pomelo. They were both very affordable prices, and the most important thing was that they could change the taste.

"Buy two for dad when you get home."

Keeping this in mind, Roland walked along the newly built Baishi Street towards the Lord's Mansion.

Starting from the gathering place of alchemy workshops in the northern district of the city, the roads throughout Xiahui City are being renovated district by district. The original bluestone streets that look slightly ancient need to be replaced. A solid road that carries the alchemy cart.

Because the leader of the construction team is an earth element sublimator, the repair and reinstallation speed is very fast.

The streets are crowded with pedestrians and motorcades. From time to time, the bells of the camel beasts can be heard. The area where the city hall is located is even more crowded. I don’t know how many people gather around it.

The distant view is of the lord's mansion located on the top of the cliff in the north of the city. A black one-eyed armor stands on the top overlooking the city, highlighting the lord's majesty.

White clouds flow across the sky, and the city is full of life.

Roland was not surprised by this number of people. After all, it was Xia Hui who took the first civil service examination. Basically, all the prominent families in the city went to take part. Because the registration was so overwhelming, the young lord simply moved the examination to a later date. I took three batches to take the exam.

Roland was among the first batch.

"Show your admission ticket!"

Before entering the examination room next to the city hall, Roland showed his admission ticket - as the crystal board scanned the person and ID, and the green light turned on, he was let in.

This was a normal process, but there was a flash of red light next door, and the candidate holding the exam certificate was instantly picked up by two big men wearing full armor and walked towards the execution ground nearby.

Of course it's not beheading or hanging... It's just taking the exam for you. The most you can do is hang him up and beat him up. Then there will be stains on your personal record, making it difficult to get through the political review.

Speaking of this political review, it is also a novel thing - although it is said that no matter which territory or lord hires people, they will examine the person's past experience and personal background, but it is still quite rare for Xiahui leader to write it openly in the notice of the lord's mansion. .

——Isn’t this driving talents away?

This is what many people think. After all, most of the people who are wandering on Terra and have some skills are those who have committed crimes in their hometown and want to hide their identities and start over. They have to go back three generations... Who would be willing Working for such a fussy lord?

It’s so rare to be confused!

To be honest, Roland is also a little curious now. How does the Lord's Mansion determine that he is his own? After all, he spends most of his time in the field, living and studying with a group of dwarf craftsmen. Theoretically, there is no such thing in Xiahui Leader's side. Recorded by myself.

In other words, he can be regarded as a person with "unclear origin", but after scanning the crystal plate, he can still be sure that he is him.

Don’t underestimate this technology! You must know that, except for the imperial capital, Liuyao City, major frontier fortresses and other major cities and important places, lords in many places have no way to accurately identify the specific identities of the citizens in their territories.

They can make statistics, compile a book, and distribute ID cards, but it is very difficult to determine who Roland is Roland in a few seconds and avoid the phenomenon of taking the exam on behalf of others.

By the way... Could it be that the reason why the exam was postponed was to solve this problem?

Roland shook his head to get rid of distracting thoughts.

Regardless of whether it is a brand-new sublimation skill or alchemy, it will not hinder his examination anyway.

Entering the examination room, entering the independent examination room, waiting for twenty minutes until the hour, the examination began.

In this exam, the public refers to tax collectors, while the term used by the Lord's Palace is 'civil servants'. Civil servants naturally include tax collectors, but there are also other positions, depending on the results of the exam, but in general it is for The Lord's Mansion and the City Hall were doing things, so no one paid much attention to them.

The exam is divided into five parts. The first part is about some questions about mathematics and economic tables. It is not difficult. Most literate people have studied mathematics. Even some questions about tax rates have been prepared, so All can be answered.

Roland himself thought it was quite simple. After all, he had a formal bachelor's degree in mechanical alchemy and scored all 40 points.

The second part is a bit weird - the questions in this part are very complicated, including national geography, basic alchemy, biological alchemy and major laws... It's not that it's difficult, it's just very complicated. There are even some questions in the exam Planting issues such as "How many years does it take for a golden leaf tree to mature and its leaves to be used as medicine" highlight an all-encompassing issue.

Roland himself is a person who loves learning and knowledge. Otherwise, he would not be able to steal money and go to Fallen Star Hills to study, so his answer in this aspect is not bad, but it is also very thrilling.

That was the question about planting trees. Although Xiahui was the leader of his hometown, he was not a farmer, so how could he remember it so clearly?

It’s just that Roland recently bought medicine for his father, so he remembered that the drugstore owner complained about the bastard in the Flying Fire Land and asked him to plant new trees. Now he would have to wait another five years before he could use this sentence, so he guessedly filled in three years and Five years.

The third part returns to normal, which is about basic issues in agriculture and mining, the mining and processing methods of various ores, and the planting process of various economic crops. Generally speaking, it meets the needs of Xia Huiling and is also a review area for everyone. .

Roland finished it in one go and thought he had scored perfect marks again.

As for the fourth part, it gets weird again.

In this part, there are no questions with standard answers. They all ask, ‘How do you evaluate the response of the capital of Nanling (Nauman City) before and after the Nanling grain disaster? ’ ‘What are your views on the relationship between the Flying Flame Land and the Empire? ’ ‘What do you think is the future development direction of Xia Hui Ling?

Seeing these questions, Roland was immediately excited - Lord, this is nonsense! Are you really not afraid of people from Nauman City and the Imperial Capital coming to find you?

Oh, I forgot, my lord is a direct descendant of Nauman City, and there is a second prince behind him, so that's okay.

Fortunately, Falling Star Hills has good information, and Roland also knows some news about Ian and the background behind it.

When I wrote this, the candidates in other examination rooms probably saw these questions, and the rustling of the writing was interrupted.

Roland thought with amusement that basically everyone was scratching their heads and ears like him, looking around, not knowing how to answer.

However, unlike other candidates who worry about gains and losses, Roland himself is a smarter person.

He knows very well that since the lord has asked you to answer the test questions, then if you don't answer, you will definitely get the most points deducted. If you answer wrong, you will be dragged away for education. Only if you make the most outrageous answer, you may be arrested and punished.

But then again, these questions must be to see the tendencies of candidates like myself... In this case, the answer should be true, and at most it can beautify yourself a little. Otherwise, if you really pass the exam, you will actually be unable to do things. If you don't show these tendencies, it will be a crime of deceiving the lord.

By then, the punishment will definitely not be a small matter of deducting points on exams.

Therefore, Roland honestly wrote down the answer in his mind.

"I think Nauman City is a bit laissez-faire. Biological warfare has been discovered for a long time, but the capital has no policy of purchasing large quantities of food. It only ensures the food supply in the main areas under the empire's jurisdiction. It is simply forcing the mountain people to rebel!"

"The Flying Flame Land and the Empire treat each other as trash cans. In the past hundred years, since the war was launched to compete for resources in the Great Desert Labyrinth, they have almost always blamed each other for everything. It is convenient and simple, and the people also recognize it. I personally hate it. Flying Flame Land, but I suspect this is also the goal that the empire wants to achieve, and the two sides must have a tacit understanding on this point."

"The future development direction of the Xiahui Territory will definitely be agriculture. At most, some industrial production facilities will be replenished for the war. However, I heard that the new lord is an alchemy genius. He must have his own plan in this regard. We listen to the lord!"

After writing these answers, Roland didn't even bother to check them - anyway, it's just as interesting as it is. No one really expects candidates to write something eloquent in Xiahui Ling and this rural place, right?

Roland felt that even if he was bad, then everyone else would be bad too, and everyone would be bad to each other.

In the last part, there are only two questions.

But this is perhaps the hardest part.

The first question: There are currently two people in the territory who meet the conditions for granting subsidies, but the territory has financial difficulties and can only grant subsidies to one person at most.

The first person was a veteran of the Northwest Desert Battle. He was unable to adapt to normal life due to the traumatic sequelae of the war in the Flying Flame Land. He was unable to work normally and communicate rationally with others. Because of this, he had no relatives or friends and found it difficult to live a normal life.

The second person was a man from the mountain who bravely saved three children from the fire and was severely injured. Now he is bedridden due to severe burns. His parents have died, he has no relatives or friends, no job income, and he cannot live a normal life.

What would you do?

--trap!

Roland felt a flash of lightning fly through his head for a moment, and he immediately realized the inducement of this question.

It lists various conditions at the front, and tells you that the money is only enough to be distributed to one person, as if you are asked to judge who should be distributed based on the conditions, so as to judge the moral tendency of the candidate and make a choice... But in fact.

It doesn't ask you to decide who to send it to, nor does it tell you that you are the one who makes the decision.

It just asks you what you would do.

"Report to the lord, am I qualified to decide this kind of thing? Everyone is so politically correct, how can I, an ordinary citizen of Jin, be qualified to comment?"

"It's too much!"

Roland didn't even think about it and directly filled in 'Report to Lord's Mansion'.

Roland could avoid the trap of this question by relying on his natural sensitivity, but the last question was really a bit troublesome.

The second question: There is a farmer in the territory who has failed to harvest due to a grain disaster, and owes a total of twenty-four thalers in seed fees and taxes. However, the family is poor and it is basically impossible to pay off the arrears and taxes.

If you were a tax collector, what would you do?

Very simple.

If it was a former lord, without even thinking about it, it would definitely be compulsory tax payment. Isn't that what tax collectors are used to do? Is it still possible to deal with the arrears and no money?

The farm has not yielded any harvest yet. It’s obvious whose fault it is, right?

Roland doesn't think there's anything wrong with this idea. No matter how smart he is, he can't break through the limitations of the times. If he really wants to do it, Roland will probably lend money to this family to survive this year, but if next year If he still couldn't grow anything, then he had no choice but to say that fate was bad and God wanted this family to die.

But here's the problem.

Should the tax collector do this?

If Roland became a tax collector, he might do this... But is this the kind of tax collector the lord wants?

Roland's expression was a little uncertain. He really couldn't decide what choice he should make.

In this era, tax collectors are supposed to be cold-blooded tax collection machines. There are so many families with difficulties, is it possible that they have to borrow money from family to family? Although the Roland family is managed by the former baron, Moda is not greedy in management. He is very loyal, so the family is not very rich, how can it save so many people.

After thinking for a long time, Roland didn't know how to answer. He wanted to write a standard Terran answer like "forced taxation, and if there is no money, sell all his property to pay back the money."

However, his instinct told him that this choice was too bad.

It's not that the answers to the test paper are bad, but that he is too bad as a person.

Writing this kind of answer, it would be okay if he was successfully selected, and he could comfort himself, but if he failed...

He will definitely regret it.

Roland was silent for a long time and struggled for a long time before writing the answer.

He wrote down the indecisive answer of "hold it off until next year." He thought about it and even thought that he might borrow money, but if there were too many farmers like this, he wouldn't be able to borrow much. Write it down.

"Hey." After writing this, Roland suddenly realized that he might not be suitable to be a tax collector: "This profession requires too much heart, right? Sure enough, there are specialties in the field, I still have to do my mechanical engineering to compare good……"

"I don't know if the Lord's Mansion is recruiting scholars in mechanical engineering..."

With this in mind, Roland simply rang the bell and handed in the paper - there was no need to check, he was sure that his answer was the best he could write.

After coming out, he discovered that he was one of the first people to hand in the paper.

Or even, simply second place.

There was only an old man before him.

And this old man Roland is also very familiar with it, because he was one of the most famous tax collectors in Xiahui City before. Counting the current Ian, the 'Old Farr' who has experienced three lords.

"What's wrong, young man, if you come out so soon, you must have handed in a blank paper, right?"

During the break in the examination room, the old man who was smoking changed the position of the pipe in his mouth, smiled and said to the confused Roland: "I remember you, the youngest son of Steward Moda's family who ran away from home - um , with your knowledge, you should not hand in a blank paper, and you should even answer it faster than I can."

The gray-haired old man with golden eyes smiled and nodded: "Then let me guess, you are troubled by those last questions, right?"